John bichaeds



I UNITED STATES PA E T FF CE. i

JOHN RICHARDS, or sAiv rsaivoisco, crlniroufxulu T- l 1. Y5

N' UGALBUMP Y SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PateiltNoi lilfila7l dated l darolri il, i385.

Application filed May 7, 1884. (N 'o model),

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; JOHN RICHARDS. a citi' zen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the countyof San Francisco and State of California, havednvented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Pumps; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reierence marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of centrifugal pumps that are intended for lifting water, the pump shown in the drawings being designed to raise water to a greater height than has been hitherto successfully attempted.

My improved pump consists of two or more runners keyed on one shaft and inclosed in a casing that is divided into two or more compartments by diaphragms or division-plates, the casing being provided at its upper part with an inlet for water, and at its lower part with a discharge-opening. The pump is thus so arranged that the weight of the water in the suction and discharge pipes will be balancedby the weight of thepump-shaft and attached run hers-that is, the draft or force of the pump is applieddownward and contrary to the gravity of the driving-shaft and attachments.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating the in vention, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a centrifugal pump embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the diaphragmplate with curved vanes, and Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the runners.

Like letters designate like parts.

A represents the main pump-casing. B is the first or upper runner, and B is the second or lower runner.

The suction-pipe O communicates with an opening in the upper part of the pump-casing at its center, while the discharge-pipe D conveys water from the lower part of the casing.

E is the pump spindle or shaft, to which the runners B B are keyed. This shaft or spindle is also provided with a driving-pulley, F, by which the shaft and runners are rotated.

The pump'casing A is divided horizontally by a diaphragm or division plate, G, that is provided on its upper side with curved vanes a a, asshown'in Fig. 2, a separate compartment being thus'provided for each runner.

It is obvious that the pump can be provided with'two or more of these runners and'div'is ion'plates, if desired. The diaphragm ordivision plate G is formedwitha central ope11 ing, b, through which the upper and lower compartments of the pump-casing communicate.and the curved vanes a a on its upper face serve to deflect the water to this central opening after it isdischarged from the periphery of the-first or upper runner. The runners B B are each formed on the upper side with a central opening, 0, that corresponds in diameter with the water-passages of the pump-casing, and each runner is provided internally With curved vanes 01 d, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The water takes the course indicated by the arrows in Fig. l, passing first through the upper runner, B, which developsa force in the upper chamber due to the speed or number of revolutions imparted to the runner-shaft. Vhen the upper chamber of the pump is filled, the rotation of the water is stopped by the vanes a a, and it is forced between these vanes to the central opening, I), in the diaphragm, and enters the second or lower runner, B, at the pressure due to the action of the first runner. The second or lower runner,B, then adds its force,which in practice is found to be about eightyper cent. more, and the water is forced out of the pump through the lower compartment and discharge-pipe.

It is evident that in drawing the water through the runners B B at the upper side and discharging it at their periphery there is a reactive force or thrust upon the shaft E equal to the whole duty of the pump or to the head of the water lifted. This force is in a measure and in some cases wholly balanced by the weight of the runners B B, shaft E, and pulley F; but in case the thrust is not so balanced an additional weight can be applied to the shaft, preferably by loading the pulley F untilall isin equilibrium. It will be seen that the discharge-pipe D leads from the side of the lower compartment and is curved upward, while the water delivered by the inductionpipe 0 enters the top of the pump-casing at the center and surrounding the driving-shaft. By

this construction theloottom ofthe pump-chamher does not need to be perforated for the passage of pipes. When the induction-pipe is made to enter the bottom of the pump-chamber, as is sometimes done, the chamber is liable to be emptied by leakage at the foot-valve as soon as the runners are stopped, thus requiring priming,or otherwise delaying the action of the pump when the runners are again started. This difficulty is entirely avoided by arranging the induction and eduction pipes in the pump-casing A, provided with one or more horizontal diaph ragms, G, having central opening, b, and provided on the upper side with curved vanes 00 a, the vertical driving-shaft E, having aweighted pulley, F, the runners B B, mounted on said shaft, the suction-pipe 0, communicating with the top of the upper eon1partment of thepump-casing and surrounding the drivingshaft, and the discharge-pipe D, leading from the lower compartment at the side,

whereby the thrust of the water is balanced by the weight of the driving-shaft and its attachments and the pump-casing made to retain a quantity of water after the runners are stopped, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. COOPER, ARTHUR F. L. BELL. 

